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83
ALBUM REVIEWS
SAM NEWTON
STARE INTO THE DARK
Independent
Sam Newton has been steadily
building a cache of songs across
three albums and with each new
release he seems to find a more
intuitive and direct line to his
muse. Stare Into The Dark peels
back the layers to expose the
gentle core of his songwriting,
some wonderful instrumental
touches and plenty of space for
the songs to breathe.
There’s a sense of calm across
the album, in keeping with the
late-night, reflective theme of
its title and artwork. Songs such
as ‘Hazel Eyes’ hang and drift
with Newton’s vocal the binding
thread holding them together
as he sings of relationships,
mental health and self doubt. It’s
a dark collection of songs and
a brave one at that. Laying out
his thoughts and fears so openly
and with this kind of raw honesty
requires confidence and a certain
degree of letting go.
Newton’s been wise to surround
himself with some fine musicians
who know when to sketch out
the skeleton of a song or weave
lush sonic tapestries and there
are some exquisite instrumental
moments on the album,
particularly the shimmering,
searching electric guitar playing
of Cameron Henderson. The real
winner though is Newton’s song-
craft and his ability to compose
classic lilting melodies, such as
those on the gorgeous ‘Be Your
Baby’, that ultimately shine an
optimistic light through the
darkness of his songs.
BY CHRIS FAMILTON
ROO PANES
QUIET MAN
CRC Records/Footstomp Music
Born and bred in a sleepy little
market town in the county of
Dorsey, UK, this is the third album
from Panes, who toured here for
the first time last year, and it’s
another superbly crafted, gentle
stroll through his life, love and
place within the greater scheme
of things. His limpid voice, its
three- or four-octave range never
forced, is counterpointed along
the way by sweeping harmonies
here, sinewy strings there, a
tinkling piano or softly-strummed
acoustic guitar, at once nostalgic,
empowering and welcoming.
Panes has suggested that Quiet
Man has a general theme of
encouragement, and that’s
certainly there in ‘Ophelia’, as
his rousing chorus, “When I see
you, I see hope”, builds and builds
into and out of an exhilarating,
ascending bridge. It’s there too
in the poetry that is ‘A Year in a
Garden’ – “I found beauty lay
beyond the veil of vanity” – a line
that could have come straight
out of Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s
Progress. Quiet Man is a slow,
steady bit of progress, but the
understated charm within carries
you along as effortlessly as the
autumn leaves on the stream
observed in ‘Ophelia’, with its
depths barely hinted at.
BY MICHAEL SMITH
DAN PARSONS
SUNDAY MORNING CINEMA
MGM
There’s no doubt about it.
Some of the finest Americana
comes out of this wide brown
land nowadays. Brisbane-
raised, Melbourne-based
singer songwriter Dan Parsons
is yet another example. His
longstanding attraction to the
broad genre is evident on his
latest album. Follow-up to 2015’s
Valleywood, this collection of
nine tracks delivers both grass
roots and polish. Parsons’ vocals
capture the laidback tonality of
70’s troubadours Jim Croce and
James Taylor. His guitar style
matches the storytelling as easily
as a lazy afternoon on a sun-
drenched porch. First single ‘Here
Goes Nothin’ has already enjoyed
radio success. ‘Dream On Lover’
lays bare an intimacy of guitar
strokes inviting use of top shelf
speakers or headphones. The
album was recorded live to tape
with Fraser Montgomery and Nick
Edin. Backing band Rodeo Pony
features Bree Hartley (drums),
Alex O’Gorman (bass), Robin
Waters and Jeremy Marcotte
(keys), Tracy McNeil (bvs), Tim
‘Big Dog’ Baker (electric guitar)
and Ben Franz on pedal steel.
This one’s bound for local ‘Best of
2018’ lists.
BY CHRIS LAMBIE
PUNCH
BROTHERS
ALL ASHORE
Nonesuch/Warner
I’m sure I’ve dreamed of music
like the Punch Brothers make,
but never actually considered
it within reach of mere mortals.
With superhuman virtuosity,
imagination and zeal, Chris Thile
and co conjure more magic on
All Ashore, this time aiming at a
nine-part suite themed around
commitment.
Self-produced at the old Ocean
Way studios in Hollywood (where
the band recorded previous
albums Antifogmatic and The
Phosphorescent Blues), All Ashore
is a challenging listen with Thile
having more to say than ever and
the musical landscape constantly
shifting around him. Even within
the seven minutes of the opening
title track, there are so many
moods and ideas conveyed with
such minimal instrumentation,
it’s mind-boggling. String
instruments play off each other in
intricate parts closer to orchestral
chamber music, before then
combining to produce an acoustic
version of a modern R&B rhythm,
while Thile’s elastic and angelic
voice soars above. It’s quite
breathtaking.
Then ‘The Angle of Doubt’ picks
up that modern urban suggestion,
Thile’s agile melodies shifting
into a spirited rap in an epic and
intense meditation on trust and
doubt.
It’s astonishing how Punch
Brothers are able to leap decades
(often within the space of a few
bars), armed only with a quintet
of acoustic string instruments.
One second you’re listening to
Bach, the next The Beatles and
the next Kendrick Lamar. With a
stop at Bob Wills along the way
(‘Jumbo’ takes the feel of ‘Roly
Poly’ turns it into a thinly veiled
theme for Donald Trump: “Whoa!
Here comes Jumbo with a knife
and a tan, And an elephant’s tail
for his Instagram, Grown up brave
on the fat of the land of the free.”
BY MARTIN JONES
ALBUM REVIEWS